Blog Focus: ESPN Announcer Bob Griese Suspended for 'Taco' Comment About Juan Pablo Montoya
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ESPN college football announcer Bob Griese made a stupid comment after a NASCAR promo, saying driver Juan Pablo Montoya was out 'having a taco.'
Griese apologized for the remark on-air, but will be suspended for one game as a result. Predictably, there are many wide-ranging reactions to this in the blogosphere.
Out Sports: "I had the game on, heard the comment and immediately knew that Griese was in trouble. He apologized twice during the broadcast and ESPN issued a release disapproving of his comment. Montoya is from Colombia, while tacos are Mexican, but to Griese they all must look and eat alike.
It was a dumb and stereotypical thing for him to utter and a week off sounds right. Broadcasters need to learn that ANY attempted joke with an ethnic bent is just asking for trouble and should resist the urge."
The Big Lead: "Assuming Griese was genuine, the taco comment wasn’t offensive. Mexicans eat tacos. They are an indigenous part of their cuisine. They predate the Spanish. There’s nothing demeaning about eating a taco.
Saying a Mexican is eating a taco is like saying an Englishman drinks tea, an Irishman went out for a pint, or an American was eating a hamburger. It’s a stereotype. There certainly are Mexican people who don’t like tacos, but it’s not a gross disparagement of Mexican culture."
Outside the Boxscore: "I think we need to remember that jokes are harmless and this was not meant in any ill-will. For some reason, I have a strange urge to get Taco Bell now."
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